


Date Night

by PrinnPrick



Series: LeonCloud [3]
Category: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Final fantasy vii elements, Gambling, Golden Saucer, Humor, M/M, Surge the drink, date, game elements, not really barely there hardly noticeable crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 14:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18741208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinnPrick/pseuds/PrinnPrick
Summary: It’s that part in Final Fantasy VII at the Golden Saucer when Cloud is forced on a date with someone... except that someone is Squall. And it’s not really forced.





	Date Night

There was a bench before the large video monitor inside the Golden Saucer where the chocobo races could be viewed in mild comfort. Squall Leonhart appeared only half-interested in the charging birds, despite having made a bet on what was currently a losing chocobo.

 _Pink. Man's color_ , he grunted to himself in his head—as if he had to defend himself for liking pink against his own thoughts.

Squall had his leather-bound legs crossed and one arm over the back of his seat as the other held a Big Gulp of some green soda. The bench where he had planted his large keester was more than roomy enough for a group of five to share, but as the brunette sat right in the middle with a dangerous scowl on his hansom, scarred face no one was brave enough to approach. Despite doing nothing but chugging on a drink, the small crowd around him found the brunette far too intimidating. Most did what they could to avoid him (most being that Yuffie often bothered Squall in attempts to force him onto some of the rides with her.)

The welcome solitude the muscular brunette had finally begun to relax into (dipping into a slump once he knew for sure no one would bother sitting down with him) was unexpectedly interrupted as his unguarded right side was infiltrated by an intruder sitting down beside him. Squall turned to see who had joined him on the bench—watching as they leaned back casually and stared up at the screen. He seemed to be just as built as the scowling man sitting there in silence, but so much less foreboding.

"Bored already, Cloud?"

"Mm," the blond murmured quietly as his blue eyes stayed glued to the screen. That little noise translated to, 'I needed to get away from Yuffie.'

"Hm," Squall replied, turning back to the race with his usual stony expression. That noise translated over to, 'Typical.'

Pink and Black were neck-in-neck down the track. Pink had barreled through the rest of the crowd until it had nearly passed the leader. They batted, nipped, and squawked at each other as the finishing line appeared in the short distance. Squall watched the battle for first without so much as blinking, though he could sense Cloud clutching his fists in contained excitement beside him. The most movement coming from Squall during this intense moment came from his twitching fingers and his left eye that seemed to have a sudden twinge in the skin.

_I think I drank way too much Surge... I'm all twitchy._

He adjusted his legs around so that both feet were planted on the floor just as the chocobos hit the finish line.

Pink won by, literally, a hair. The pink chocobo had stretched its neck out and the top of its feathers hit the finish line. It warked loudly in triumph and nearly bucked its rider off in its excitement. The black Chocobo on the television behind the pink kicked its talons in defeat and hung its head sadly while his rider pat his neck.

Squall smirked at his victory. He stood up once the race was done and decided to toss his finished drink away in a nearby bin. Now with the cup out of his hand, he moved to stretch his arms high above his head.

 _Better go get my prize money,_ he thought with a yawn that clearly said he didn't care.

"You bet on the Pink?" Cloud asked as he came from behind Squall with his arms crossed. He quirked one fine blonde brow at his companion. _Why is his mouth twitching like that? Is he going to smile? … Can Squall smile?_

"Mm," That meant, 'Yes'. "... I guess you bet on black?"

"Yep," Cloud shrugged. He placed one of his gloved hands against his thick, long neck and bent his head over it until a loud "Pop!" escaped.

The noise caught Squall's attention first. He turned until he was completely facing Cloud, a curious tilt of his head soon followed. It only took a second of accessing to realize what the pop was, and only a second more for Squall to stop caring again. However, he didn't turn his head straight right away—he couldn't. His eyes had caught on Cloud's oddly hairless armpit. It was all muscle and tan, smooth skin, just like the rest of the blonde.

_It doesn't even look like he shaves or waxes... No bumped or marks and even tone... Wait, am I really focusing this much on Cloud's armpit?_

Squall shook his head. He fixed Cloud dead in the face with one of his trade-mark stares of utmost neutrality.

"You want my winnings? If I accept it all, I'll have to leave over half of it since my pockets can't hold much more gold."

"How much did you bet exactly?"

"Just a million," Squall stated as if a million funds were just a jar full of pennies. "I actually started out with only twenty coins, but then this videogame caught my attention... for about five hours..."

He waved a dismissive hand, turning away to walk toward the betting booth with his ticket.

 _Just a million?_ Cloud stared at Squall's back with the flattest face he could muster. “All right. No reason good money has to go to waste, I guess."

It was a short march to the ticket master's booth. Squall offered his winnings and his money pouch was filled to the brim instantly. The brunette stood aside and quietly offered the rest to Cloud, which the ticket master obliged. What was left of the million went into Cloud's pockets.

"There." _Now I'm off to buy more food, and then puke it up on the rides on Yuffie for revenge._

"Thanks," Cloud said as the rest of the money was dumped into his own pouch. The blonde looked toward the large screen where bets were being made again and instantly frowned at the line-up.

_None of them look too promising... and the next race won't be run for three hours._

Cloud turned away to watch as Squall began to walk toward the food court. He took a few large strides to catch up to Squall's gait. Once he was standing side-by-side the brunette, his walk turned casual and he looked up nonchalantly toward Squall's scarred features.

"... You don't mind me joinin' you, do you?" _Because the last thing I need is Yuffie draggin' me to ... what was that thing called? 'The Hurler'?_

"Alright... But all I'm doing is stuffing myself. I want to make sure Yuffie never invites me to a ride ever again."

Squall blinked, then glared harshly at Cloud.

"And you didn't hear that."

Cloud almost laughed, but just gave Squall an amused sort of stare.

"Two chilly dogs and a large plate of nachos piled with jalapenos it is."

Squall finally did smirk.

"Have you been introduced... to Surge yet?" Squall asked with an undertone of malevolence as his eye twitched.

oo00oo00oo

The two males found themselves at a table literally crowded from edge to edge with food. There were piled high nachos with the works, foot-long chili dogs, brown pudding-like things with odd white swirls that might have been gravy, large sodas, and strange deserts.

Many stared as they passed the odd display of gluttony. Neither of the males seemed to mind, especially not as each continued the long meal at their own pace. Cloud was already on his fourth hotdog and a pile of nachos, while Squall had stuffed down two large subs and more hotdogs than he could remember he even bought—and yet neither was full yet.

After a few minutes of silently pigging out (and not at all bothering with the usual table manners), Squall looked up. He pointed behind the blonde with a look of bewilderment.

"The hell—?" Squall stated as Cloud instinctively looked to see what had the brunette perplexed.

While he was distracted, Squall quickly switched two bowls of nachos; his own being near to empty and Cloud's quite full. Before Cloud could become the wiser as he turned back around, Squall was already stuffing his mouth with one chip that had most of the cheese smothering it.

Cloud looked down at the table first, and then back up at Squall with a hard glare. He reached across the table to take his nachos back, but as soon as he reached Squall had them over his head. He had some cheese and a single jalapeno stuck to the side of his mouth.

"Technically, I paid for all of these."

"True, but you passed me this plate, givin' up any ownership of the food," Cloud argued, reaching for it one more time. That's when his eyes caught on Squall's mouth, where a delicious chunk of cheese and a spicy little morsel clung to dear life on the brunette's face. He instantly leaned forward—knocking over an empty cup on his way—and nipped what he could right off.

Cloud sat back as he ate his prize, but Squall was in a state of confusion. He stared with wide-eyes at the blonde after that little action, even shocked into setting the nachos back down on the table.

"... I wonder what the girls would say if they had seen that?" Squall asked casually, indicating a possible lengthy run of jokes involving Cloud's indiscretion.

"I wanted my jalapeno,” Cloud said simply. He reached for his nachos again, effectively stealing them back. _Though, I don't know what made me wanna do that..._

Squall took a few more nachos before Cloud could take them all back. His gloves were off so he could eat without ruining them, revealing a wrought-iron ring of a growling lion. He licked his fingers clean, then attacked another sandwich.

Cloud paused between his nachos and unwrapping another hotdog. He stared at the ring as he noted the face of the lion.

_I never knew he wore anythin' but the necklace... A lion. Now that I think about it, it kinda suits him._

"Do I have something else you'd like to lick off on my face?"

"Huh—?" Cloud blinked and shook his head, speaking in a flat tone of voice. "Not at this time, no. I just never noticed you wore jewelry."

"Well, I usually wear a jacket and gloves over them, so I guess it's understandable," Squall shrugged. "I never noticed you cared to notice anything."

"Yuffie tells me I'm very observant," Cloud replied sarcastically. He bit into another whole jalapeno, enjoying the burning sensation going down his throat. He would soothe that with sugar later. That mochi was starting to look incredibly good... or it had been. Almost as soon as Cloud turned to stare at the pink ball of delicious, Squall's greedy hand took hold of the small container and he immediately swallowed every last mochi down his greedy throat.

"Hey, you were right. It's delicious," Squall said between bites as he stared down into the empty container that once held the little treats.

Cloud scowled, _You dirty bastard...!_

He stole the last bit of Squall's Surge, swallowing it down.

"I bet it was."

Squall gasped, then glared.

"That was my main sugar fix..."

"Oh, how unfortunate for you, then," Cloud pretended to sigh.

Squall snorted.

"You're starting to feel the effects of Surge. Soon, you will be more talkative and every thought once inside your own head will become your next statement," he stated in a cold, deep sort of manner. He finished off what he could from the table as his stomach finally reached its brink.

Cloud just stared at Leon, giving him an, 'Okay, sure,' sort of look. He couldn't finish off his own half of the table, but he did manage to eat all the jalapenos.

They both stood up, leaving the trash behind for an employee to grab. Squall tapped his chin as he looked toward the portal entrance signs. One in particular caught his attention.

"... I think I feel like entering a competition..."

"Like what?" Cloud asked, not sound too enthusiastic. "Just anything but an eating contest, I might just die."

"I meant the tournaments. Fighting competition," Squall rephrased. He quirked a brow at Cloud. "... You want to come with me?"

"I don't know what gave you that impression," Cloud said, oblivious to the fact that he had practically said he wanted to come without the exact words already, "but I guess I can join you."

Squall quirked that brow higher, almost feeling duped. Was Cloud purposely trying to come with him without wanting to admit he wanted to or something? And since when did Squall actually not mind having the company? Then again, Cloud didn't seem the type to eat off another guy's face, but he had. Maybe today was just an off day? He shrugged, his expression neutral once more.

"We can do pairs, I suppose. Those have tougher rounds anyway."

Cloud nodded in approval.

oo00oo00oo

Because they were inside the large dome, it was hard to tell when night ended and morning began. They spent hours together; first starting at the arena where they beat an all-time record of a hundred-twenty-seven rounds non stop battling, and then when they realized they still weren't tired they went to get food again. Nothing big like before; just some snacks to quickly munch on as they walked over to the six portals and stared at the signs.

"..." Number six was to the theater. There was a sign hanging over the portal.

"A play," Cloud read off the sign. "Maybe if we go in and watch it'll bore us enough to make us tired."

Squall nodded, making a grunting noise of approval. He approached first, jumping in and disappearing into a tube. Cloud jumped in quickly behind him.

The brunette almost stumbled in. He caught himself just in time with a mental note that the entrance was up higher then in the other sections of the Golden Saucer. He walked over to the railing that stood over a large stadium of chairs. Even so close to opening not a lot of people were there. Mostly just kids, their parents, and a few plucked couples. He turned to Cloud, just in time to watch him fall out of the portal and trip across the floor. The blonde caught Squall by his shirt before he could fall with a notable grunt. Once Cloud had steadied himself, he took a full step back from the brunette.

 _I hate those,_ Cloud shook his shoulders out.

Squall pat the blonde's head as if he were a tumbling teenager who needed comfort.

"I hate those things," he stated out-loud with a small twitch of his mouth. "I meant to think that... I think I still have Surge in my system."

"Hmm... it seems too early for it to have started yet," Cloud replied, as if he hadn't heard his companion talk to himself.

Squall nodded.

"Yet, I don't think these things ever get that crowded."

The two began the long climb down toward the audience. The first couple of rows near the bottom of the steps were occupied by scattered group of small children and their parents. With the idea of screaming kids not appealing much to Squall, the brunette began to walk down toward the middle of the audience when an unfamiliar voice called to them hurriedly from the stage.

"No, no, no! Wait!" A very short, slightly chubby male came running up to them looking distressed. He grabbed Cloud by the wrist first. "I'm really sorry, but I have a favor to ask..."

Squall ignored the little man and plopped into a seat along the aisle.

"We need two people to star in the play," the chubby man squawked in a desperate plea.

"And this is my problem because...?" Cloud asked as he quirked a brow.

"It's because you're in a gay relationship, right? We need two gay men—a diversity thing! Our actors decided at the last minute to get married in the tropics! Oh, please? I won't take no for an answer!"

There was a polite smile, but the threat of refusing rejection was true. Already there were other men coming from behind the stage to drag the two back with them.

"It's really simple," began the stage master, "you don't have any lines. It's all narration."

"We're not gay," Cloud said stiffly before the men could grab him.

"Well, then perfect! I thought you were gay, that's good enough for the audience!"

And Cloud was being shoved toward the back by the stout little male. It took the two men who came from behind the stage and another random stage hand to get Squall to do the same. Before long, both he and Squall were shoved into separate little dressing rooms.

oo00oo00oo

"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight we present to you a classic story about a princess and her valiant prince! Or shall I say, a prince and his prince?" The narrator lifted his hands into the air with a dramatic wave of his hand to present the entirety of the stage, set with a cartoonish medieval background. "Our own version of a new kind of love! Ladies and gentlemen, 'A Tale of Princes'."

He bowed out as the curtains closed. Seconds later, Cloud was shoved onto the stage. He was dressed in some costume armor with the metal so thin and light it wouldn't stand up to any real weapons. He stood there on stage, scowling at the audience as the curtains re-opened. The small crowd just clapped.

"Long ago in a far away land lived a handsome prince. He was strong and brave, and quite sad... for the love of his life had been taken away by a fierce beast."

Cloud just sighed, and looked irritated. That didn't seem to bother the audience, who "aaaaw"d loudly.

Squall looked ready to maul someone as he was dragged onto the stage by a big man in a dragon costume. His brow twitched threateningly, but he only scowled and said nothing in the end—curious to how big the guy was if he was able to carry Squall around like rag-doll.

"So the prince went on a a great quest—"

Cloud didn't move, just looked towards the other end of the stage. Squall looked angry and humiliated in a frilly little outfit. It wasn't a dress, but it was feminine. And pink. But for some reason, that just make him look even manlier. Cloud snorted, barely holding back a laugh.

Squall narrowed his eyes dangerously at Cloud, silently saying 'This is your fault.' He grunted as he and the dragon bounced closer to Cloud. Some were heard giggling at him... One kid even was so bold as to ask his mother, "Why is that guy with all the muscles in a dress?"

"That's not a dress dear, its a kilt," she replied in hushed tones, but still loud enough for Cloud to hear. He accidentally chuckled.

"The valiant prince had found the monster!" Cried the narrator. "Now he must slay the dragon and rescue his love!"

Cloud drew the fake wooden sword. He brandished it half-heartedly. He didn't even swing. Squall gave a yawn as the dragon behind him pretended to fall back, apparently slain.

 _Well, gee... My hero,_ the brunette thought sarcastically.

"But oh no!" the narrator said dramatically once Cloud thought it was all over and they could leave. He slapped his forehead. "It appears the prince's lover has been placed under a spell! He is now in an eternal sleep!"

Squall blinked.

 _...How am I suppose to be asleep when I'm standing up?_ He wondered, moving to close his eyes and rub the bridge of his nose, as if he were getting a headache.

Something hard and heavy was thrown straight at Squall's head while he was distracted. He was forced to fall backwards with a thud. The crowd gasped, but not because a man just got hit in the face with a heavy object.

Cloud blinked as Squall was hit dead-on with a large brick. That was about all the concern he showed.

"Devastated, the prince did not know what to do! Thinking his love had departed he placed a kiss on his parted lips."

"… What?" Cloud glowered up at the speaker where the voice came from.

"He looked towards God to try and find an answer, but in the end KISSED his departed lover's ever chilling LIPS."

"I'm not gonna—“

"Do you want a rock to the head too?"

Squall was slowly starting to sit up again as the argument ensued. He felt dizzy and confused. However, something else was thrown and all thought left him as he fell back to the floor again.

Cloud certainly did not want a rock to the head, so he relented. Leaning down, Cloud very slowly pressed his lips to Squall's. The crowd began to coo as Squall "magically" blinked back to life. At first, the brunette didn't register that he was being kissed. The crowd was going wild, as if the man hadn't been hit with a brick and a rock and instead really was in a deep sleep brought on by some curse.

Cloud pulled away after what seemed like a long while. He blinked his hazy eyes at Squall's blurry ones, feeling unusually elated.

"And the prince's love is saved!"

There were suddenly rainbows and happiness, not to mention a guy in a unicorn suit.

"And they all lived happily ever after! The end!"

And the crowd cheered.

The curtains fell down and Squall slowly sat up, rubbing the bump on his head. He groaned, forcing himself up with help from Cloud until he was standing straight again. Without caring, he simply tore the frilly outfit off and tossed it aside.

"... Well... that was... fun..? I don't remember."

"Mmph... it was bland," Cloud muttered. He shed his own costume. He tossed the poorly made armor aside. He reached up to pluck what looked like a little tiara off of Squall's head. He presented it to the brunette. "Most likely something not worth remembering..."

There was something sad in the way Cloud spoke. He didn't quite reach Squall's eyes as he looked up at him either.

Squall took the tiara. He stared at it for a moment. It was bent from getting hit with a rock. He decided to pocket it, despite it being a worthless piece of garbage.

"… So, do we hold hands or something?"

"What?" Cloud quirked a brow.

Squall quirked a brow back at Cloud, giving him a flat look. He shook his head, grabbing Cloud's hand all the same and moving to jerk him towards the stairs off stage.

Cloud blinked, letting himself be dragged nonetheless. He tried to free his hand, but his efforts were lackluster.

"Hold on a minute—"

Squall let him go once they were off stage. He adjusted his clothes around and checked on his bump for a moment. He winced even though he was barely touching it with his gloved fingers. There was a sting, but it wasn't serious. Once Squall was ready to say what he wanted, he turned to Cloud and stated simply:

"If you're so disgruntled about it, don't give off weird signals to begin with."

"Weird signals...?" Cloud asked quietly. _Was I... more obvious than I thought? I shouldn't have had any of that surge..._

Squall turned to walk up the steps and play with his bumps (causing some hissing and wincing). Cloud quickly stepped forward to grab Squall by the wrist.

"Hold on a minute..."

Squall stopped as his wrist was grabbed, turning back to the blond. He stuffed his free hand into his pocket.

"Yes?"

Cloud let Squall's wrist go, stepping forward and moving in—feeling a little bold. This was the closest... well, besides the play, that they had been.

"... Does it bother you?"

"Does what bother me?" Squall asked, sounding as gruff as he ever did. That natural scowl on his face and his steel-blue eyes giving a rather flat look.

 _That I have a crush on you now? No, that's not the right way to say it. Sudden lusting? ..._ Cloud looked Squall up and down, just once, before staring off to the side. _... Just when did I start thinking like this? I blame the surge._

"Me... wanting to be close."

"..." Squall stared at Cloud a moment, noticing his eyes and how they wandered. "I don't mind, as long as you just make up your mind about it."

"I have," Cloud said quickly, hating himself for sounding so stiff. "And I..." _… Just what do I want from him?_

Squall started walking them forward again as Cloud tried to speak, still listening intently as they rose through the steps. The rest of the audience was taking their time getting up.

"...?"

"Kiss me," Cloud blurted out before he could stop himself as they reached the top of the stairs.

Squall stopped, a bit surprised to hear that. He turned back to the blond male, looking at him oddly.

"Kiss you? And what about your fangirls?"

"What about them?" Cloud said, finding himself to be clenching his fists. "They're just... friends... and nothing more."

Squall moved his hands to Cloud's pale cheeks, touching along his cheek bones and jaw-line slowly... letting his fingers glide down the clear skin until he could take a good hold on his neck and hair—leaning down as he forcibly tilted Cloud's head back. Their lips met, sealed together completely, and immediately began to slide. Squall lightly sucked against Cloud's lips to ensure the kiss would fit.

Cloud was surprised, or so said his wide, shocked blue eyes. With a soft sigh, the blond relaxed and tilted his head in to return the hard kiss.

Squall slid their lips together for a few more seconds before breaking them apart with a wet smack. He barely left an inch between them, whispering across his lips.

"Good. I'd hate to have competition... It's when I become trigger happy."

Cloud actually chuckled at that, but stopped himself with an awkward cough.

"... I see," He said as he placed his hands on Squall's waist, noting how warm the other male was.

Squall let Cloud's head go, putting an arm around his shoulders and walking them again.

"... I'm hungry," He said suddenly, just as his stomach began to growl.

"Strangely, so am I..." Cloud said, leaning on Squall's shoulder. He looked thoughtful. "On the way here we passed a Big Bowl Curry stand... The largest bowl was about the size of a beach ball. How about that?"

"Sounds good."

They jumped into the tube and back toward the main part of the Golden Saucer. They made their way through the carnival and back to the food court to begin another round of stuffing their faces. Soon after finishing, they even agreed to a ride with Yuffie...

Least to say, she never wanted to invite them to a ride ever again.


End file.
